Video recording of Agrisearch’s 'Capitalising on Clover' seminar is now available

The event focused on the financial benefits of incorporating red and white clover into grazing and silage swards, as well as the management considerations required to maintain and optimise the presence of clover within grass swards.

The first speaker at the event was Dr James Humphreys from Teagasc Solohead.

Dr Humphreys covered the experience of operating a zero chemical Nitrogen system on the heavy soils of the Teagasc Solohead dairy farm by utilising high levels of red and white clover.

This included an explanation of financial benefits as well as the soil health and carbon footprint benefits of incorporating high clover levels into grazing and silage swards.

The considerations required to successfully establish grass-clover swards, including weed control and nutrient applications, as well as seedbed preparation were also discussed in detail.

The second speaker at the event was Dr Liz Genever, an independent beef and sheep consultant and ex-AHDB senior beef and sheep scientist.

Dr Genever provided detail on the function of legumes such as red and white clover, as well as an in depth overview of the wide range of legume species that can be incorporated in the varied weather and soil conditions across Northern Ireland.

Dr Genever further commented on management considerations for red and white clover, including grazing management to maintain clover persistence and maximise Daily Liveweight Gain and optimise Body Condition Score of livestock, the effects of red clover on breeding ewes, and preventing the incidence of bloat in beef and sheep systems.

Following the speakers Dr David Patterson, AFBI Grassland Agronomist, joined both Dr Humphreys and Dr Genever to form a panel for an open discussion session.

Attendees of the event had a range of questions for all speakers, indicating the high level of interest amongst Northern Ireland farmers in increasing clover content in grass swards.

For those unable to attend the event in person, recordings of the individual speakers and of the whole event are available on the AgriSearch YouTube channel.

The videos of the seminar can be viewed here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuXkEMvinOk2qw1RfjjF26sWifEFxvj7M.

AgriSearch (The Northern Ireland Agricultural Research and Development Council) is an independent charity, registered with the Charities Commission for Northern Ireland.

AgriSearch was formed in 1997 to provide a mechanism through which beef, dairy and sheep farmers could have direct involvement in production orientated research.